On Monday, LeBron James described training with his son, Bronny, for the Los Angeles Lakers in preparation for the upcoming NBA season as “pure joy.”
“It’s a lot of excitement, pure joy, being able to come to work every day, work hard with your son, and watch him continue to grow,” explained ‘King James’ at the Lakers’ Media Day in El Segundo, south of Los Angeles.
“We push each other. He pushes me, I push him. We push our teammates, and vice versa. So it’s a very happy moment, not only for me but for our family. It’s amazing. It gives you a lot of life,” he said.
James, the league’s all-time leading scorer, will begin his 22nd NBA season in October at the age of 39.
Along with Bronny, who turns 20 on Sunday, LeBron will form the first father-son duo to play in the NBA simultaneously.
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“Our family is just so proud of him,” LeBron said of his eldest son. “We’ll see if we have some opportunities to share the track during the season. Obviously, it will be amazing. We’re looking forward to it.”
Bronny James was drafted by the Lakers last June with the 55th pick in the draft after a very discreet college season, so he could spend much of his first year with the Lakers training in the G-League affiliate league.
Asked if their relationship at home had changed, LeBron noted that “there’s not as much interaction on a daily basis.”
“He comes down to eat, goes to his room, and plays a video game. And I’m downstairs with my wife, watching a movie,” he said. “We don’t have daily check-ins to talk about work.”
“Obviously, I’ve been in the NBA longer than he has, so he understands the nuances of the game,” he recalled. “But he’s a man now, and it’s time for him to learn and get better.”
Bronny, for his part, shared the enthusiasm of playing alongside one of the best basketball players in history.
“It’s crazy to be in training with your father, competing at a high level,” said the young guard, who also wants to put an end to speculation that he owes his position to LeBron’s influence.
“I’m taking all of that stuff, the criticism and the negative reactions that people have given me, and turning it into something that fuels me,” he said.
Olympic champion for the third time in Paris, James said he did not feel physically “exhausted like the last time” he participated in the Games in London in 2012.
“I’ve had a great summer. I feel great physically, sharp, fresh, looking forward to getting back to work tomorrow,” said James, who said he still has “plenty of energy left in the tank.”
“When you’re with 11 other incredible talents, some of the best we’ve ever seen, it just gives you a lot of joy to be able to play this game and play at a high level,” James said of sharing a locker room with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant and the rest of Team USA.
A four-time NBA champion, James said the Olympic experience also fueled his hunger to play “meaningful” basketball again.
“It felt damn good to play meaningful basketball at the highest level,” said James, who has not played in the NBA Finals since his last title in 2020.
“That fire and desire came back to me. I was like, ‘OK, this is what it was all about,’” said LeBron, who will equal the record of 22 NBA seasons held by the now-retired Vince Carter.
LeBron James shared his special memory with Dikembe Mutombo
LeBron James has spoken out about the sudden passing of Hall of Famer Dikembe Mutombo on Monday, recalling a curious anecdote he had with him during his early years in the league.
He also said that he did not have the opportunity to tell Mutombo in person about the unpleasant memory he had left when the player was with the Houston Rockets, the team with which he ended up retiring.
